After a year largely out of the public eye, Brummie singer-songwriter Fyfe Dangerfield’s multi-faceted career is poised to burst out in various directions.

The founder and frontman of Mercury Prize-nominated Guillemots is set to launch a parallel solo career at Birmingham’s Glee Club on January 18, the day on which his debut solo album, Fly Yellow Moon, is released.

Recorded almost a year ago in a small studio in London’s East End with regular Guillemots producer Adam Noble and drummers Matt Ingram and Jamie Morrison (of The Noisettes), the album is a typically eclectic blend of pop styles ranging from simple acoustic-guitar ditties to ELO-style orchestrations.

The opening track When You Walk in the Room, which is available as a free download on Fyfe’s new site ( www.fyfedangerfield.com ), has already been selected as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record in the World on Radio 1 and Radio 6’s record of the week.

The Glee Club performance is one of only four, on consecutive nights in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and London, to mark the launch of the album. Fly Yellow Moon will be available in a special-edition box set including a bonus disc which will double the number of tracks from ten to 20.

Some vintage recorded Dangerfield will finally make it into the public realm on November 30, with the much-delayed release of Tradesman’s Entrance, the debut album by Birmingham band The Courtesy Group.

Fyfe was a long-time member, chiefly playing guitar, of the band formed by his brother Al Hutchins in 1998. He recently rejoined The Courtesy Group for a gig at The Rainbow in Digbeth.

The four-piece line-up at the time Tradesman’s Entrance was recorded also included Bird, formerly the drummer in Birmingham’s great lost indie band, Delta. The record, the first release on Smethwick-based Ma Doocey Records, also features a guest appearance by bass clarinettist and Guillemots regular Chris Cundy.

Fyfe’s next scheduled public appearance in Birmingham is on December 16, when deftly switching styles yet again he brings his free-jazz combo, Gannets – also featuring Cundy – to the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath.

At the same time Guillemots, with a large quantity of new material, are expecting to begin recording their third album soon.